The X-Files: Season Four
The Field Where I
Died (4.05)
Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong / Directed by Rob Bowman
The second offering for Season 4 from Morgan and Wong
was a beautiful episode in mood and execution. It was loaded with
atmosphere which was held together by the music, cinematography, and
the well-written dialogue. This is the sort of episode that leaves
me with more than a one hour story, instead forcing me to feel and
react to the scenes. There isn't much on TV that provides real
emotional impact yet Morgan and Wong are capable of creating stories
and characters that rise out of the script to take on real life
courtesy of great casting and acting.
*******
X F - A n a l y s i s
ID:
Newsflash! Summer speculation is over...Scully is
Mulder's Father! Or was in a past life. The partners are out and
about in the Ford Explorer again...I think Scully picked this in case
they had an Alien Bounty Hunter with them again...more head and leg
room. So why was Skinner in Tennessee with them? Not that I mind
seeing Skinner in an episode. A "Spooky" reference. They even know
him out in Tennessee. I thought Melissa was channeling Boggs when
she was in the informant persona. There were obvious timeline
glitches but the CSM one didn't bother me too much. I just don't
feature him as a child...I think he might have sprung from the head
of an evil entity fully grown so the dates could still work.
Overall, a powerful episode in structure and presentation.
EGO:
This episode becomes an atmospheric character study
but the actual case Mulder and Scully are called in on is interesting
in a current events sort of way. The Temple of the Seven Stars is a
cult in Tennessee overseen by Vernon Ephesian, a reference to an
Ancient Greek city spoken of in the New Testament. Mulder and Scully
were brought in to evaluate the alleged paranormal abilities of
Ephesian. The preliminary analysis is that Ephesian is a paranoid,
charismatic sociopath who uses the book of Revelation to manipulate
his followers. The parallels between David Koresh are obvious and
driven home by the information the FBI has received from an anonymous
informant. When the FBI and ATF make their joint move on the
compound, they find no weapons but the leader and his multiple wives
are on the verge of consuming a similar Kool-aid drink as the one
served by Jim Jones during the tragic finale at Jonestown.
The cult itself is based on the belief of reincarnation. A sign
in a bedroom read "Behold, I am alive for evermore." The frightening
thing about a charismatic personality like Ephesian, is his ability
to manipulate people into sharing his delusions. As long as the
group is sequestered from outside opinions, they will go along with
the ideas and decisions of the leader. Since the weapons weren't
found, Mulder and Scully were working against the clock to build a
case against Ephesian. They needed proof of child abuse or the
weapons that they were convinced were hidden on the property. It was
interesting to see the power struggle between the FBI and ATF as they
worked on their strategy. The only thing missing was the convoy of
press that would have been present during the raid on the compound.
In the end, nothing was accomplished aside from hurrying Ephesian to
his final decision.
Our window into the cult and its philosophy is Melissa, one of
Ephesian's wives. She is a tragic figure who seems resigned to
whatever situation life doles out to her. To determine whether
crimes took place at the compound, Mulder chooses Melissa as the
focus of his investigation. During a stressful questioning, Melissa
suddenly displays another personality...the original informant who
contacted the FBI. Scully immediately theorizes Multiple Personality
Disorder, while Mulder decides it's an example of past lives. Mulder
and Scully take Melissa back to the compound to see if being on site
will help reveal further information. The stress leads to the
emergence of two additional personalities, one a child named Lily and
the other, a civil war nurse named Sarah Kavanaugh. In an attempt to
delve deeper into the memories of Melissa, Mulder lobbies for
regression hypnosis.
Kristen Cloke's portrayal of Melissa and the vessels of her past
souls, was a powerful display of her acting ability. It was more
than just displaying multiple personalities, since for me the
noteworthy thing was her ability to make her feelings outshine the
mere characterization. The scene where Melissa is looking at the
photographs on the shelf felt very real and was just as convincing as
the more dramatic scenes during her hypnosis. It was gut wrenching
when she seems to recognize the soul inhabiting Mulder and mourns how
it is "so hard to wait" and how much she misses him. Just as
effective is when Mulder is replaying the tape to her and she tells
him she wants to believe. Her total defeat in the face of her
current incarnation is so painful to witness and I wasn't at all
surprised when in the end, she drank the poison in an attempt to pass
on to her next life. She denied belief to Mulder, but as she
clutches the torn photo in the end it is clear that her desire to
believe in her own reincarnation is what fueled her final
acquiescence.
On the topic of Mulder's involvement and possible connection to
Melissa's past lives, I think Duchovny's performance might have
seemed stronger if I hadn't set it against Cloke's marvelous job. I
also had some problems with the hypnotic state that Mulder appeared
to attain. When Melissa was being hypnotized, she would recall past
events and people but not necessarily relate them to any of her other
lives. When she was brought out of hypnosis, she didn't appear to
remember the other personalities since even listening to the tape
didn't jog her memory enough to make her believe. On the other hand,
when Mulder decides to be regressed himself, he seems capable of
drawing a correlation between people from the past and present. Even
stranger, he seemed to be narrating and explaining the "past lives
rules" for the observer with his "Souls come back together.
Different, but always together" and "Evil returns as evil." I
thought this mechanism for explaining to the audience was unnecessary
and took some of the intensity out of his scenes.
I'm curious about Mulder's sudden recollection and bond with
Melissa. It seems that her personalities or past lives display when
she is under stress, but Mulder has been in some stressful situations
himself yet we've never seen a hint of this behavior. Assuming that
this had more to do with Melissa's overall mental state, my next
point would be Mulder's immediate entrenchment into Melissa/Sarah and
his place in her past. Granted, Mulder can be a bit obsessive and go
off half-cocked, but he seemed to be so linked with Melissa in a
period of 24 hours that one has to question his stability and
effectiveness in the field. When making his case to Skinner, Mulder
didn't mention his real belief regarding past lives, instead bringing
in multiple personalities. Through this entire episode, Mulder was
more concerned with satisfying his curiosity on the question of
Melissa's and his possible past lives, and less concerned with
solving the case at hand. Scully even pointed this out when she
didn't believe he felt responsible for the 50 lives but that he was
only responsible to himself. Mulder seems to be walking a fine line
these days, getting more caught up in his search for conspiracy and
phenomenon and not focusing on the investigation.
To be fair to Mulder, it did appear that there was something
there. Melissa and he both recalled incidents they would not have
been privy to in the normal course of their current lives. Mulder
dredged up the names of two people who resided in Tennessee in Civil
War times and these proved to be real people as Scully discovered in
her investigation. Mulder said his soul was tired. Even if his
recollections to past lives was confabulation, he has enough in this
life to be tired and defeated over. The fact that he keeps going is
a testament to his strength but I hope he keeps his balance on the
highwire he seems to be traversing this season.
The Mulder/Scully dynamic is the final thing I focused on during
this episode. I've been commenting on this quite a bit in this
season and my unease has not been alleviated. I thought in
Herrenvolk and Teliko that Mulder rushed off in reaction to his own
curiosity and needs, leaving Scully and any effort at their
traditional teamwork behind. As much as I liked this episode, I was
shocked at how little Mulder worked toward finding clues that would
form an actionable case. Melissa's hypnosis turns up the fact that
child abuse is probably an actuality, but that testimony would be
inadmissible. Mulder decides to undergo hypnosis while Scully says
they don't have time. This egocentric course is not Scully's choice,
and she tries to ask the hypnotized Mulder if he knows where the
bunkers are. In the end, Scully's attempts to track down the weapons
is a dead end and the information that she does gather, in the form
of the census and old photographs, is only fuel for Mulder's fire.
The partners are together on the importance of the biblical
prophecies that Ephesian has been preaching. Unfortunately, the
realization of Ephesian's final request comes before any legal
foot-to-stand-on has been achieved.
SUPEREGO:
I really appreciated the structure of this episode.
The idea to begin and end on the same scene set the mood and gave us
closure. The script was beautifully constructed, with poignant
passages that were instilled with passion by Duchovny and Cloke. The
best scene was when Melissa leads Mulder and Scully out to the field
and reveals the personality of Sarah Kavanaugh. The feeling that
permeated her words and the well-written monologue was powerful and
it was no wonder that it had such an effect on Mulder. By the end of
the episode, he's fully invested in the idea of his soul and
Melissa's moving through time, even going so far as to address her as
Sarah. But the totality of this scene to close out the act, with the
music and the shot of the sun setting on the field, encapsulates the
look and feel of the episode.
It would be impossible not to mention the timeline problems this
episode suffers. As Melissa and Mulder recollect past lives, it is
apparent that some of the lives overlap, leading to the impossibility
of these souls residing in these various people. However, it is hard
to explain the evidence that Scully turned up so it may be that some
of the events and lives are real. It's easy for me to rationalize
Melissa's situation, since she was a troubled person. She may have
lived the past lives she spoke of, but may have also been suffering
from Multiple Personality Disorder. Melissa seems to "remember"
Mulder so between her recollections and his, there may be some truth.
But, Mulder also remembers a past life in war-torn Poland that
suffers from inconsistencies and he is possibly patching in his
present situation to fit a pattern. Mulder's desire to believe often
wins over an alternate explanation.
******
I felt this was the best episode of the season thus far. This
depth and characterization is what I hope for when I see the names
Morgan and Wong. The actual case became a footnote to the
overwhelming situation Mulder found himself in. Ephesian professed a
belief in reincarnation and used his charismatic personality to lead
his cult members to their deaths. The irony is that Ephesian
preached past lives yet showed no real proof of this, yet in his
midst was Melissa, who might have been his words personified.
Although Scully may still be skeptical of what Mulder believes this
case has revealed to him, it seems the lesson we're to learn is that
Mulder and Scully have a bond that goes beyond just this life. I've
always enjoyed the unresolved sexual tension that seems to add to the
intensity of their partnership and I'm not sure what impact these
revelations will have on that aspect of the show, but it is
encouraging to think that Mulder and Scully have a friendship that
transcends conventional explanation.
Back to Menu
Sanguinarium (4.06)
Written by Valerie and Vivian Mayhew / Directed by Kim Manners
Well, this episode sure lived up to its title when it
comes to a gruesome, bloody tale. But if you were looking for tight
scripting and closed loopholes then you're barking up the wrong
tree...or checking into the wrong hospital. I'll admit this episode
held my interest and made me cringe on more than one occasion, but my
cringing by the end was for reasons other than those bloody. The
episode grabbed the viewer on a visceral level and there it
succeeded, but a story has to be more cohesive, events should have
actual significance, and our heroes need to have a more active role
in the resolution of a case. By the end of Sanguinarium, my gut
reaction toward our heroes in this episode...completely ineffectual.
******
X F - A n a l y s i s
ID:
Maybe I'm the only one but everytime the opening
credits roll, I find myself holding my breath by the end then letting
out a relieved sigh..."The Truth Is Out There" . I
started to think we'd get a new one every two weeks. So tell
me...who unearthed Mulder's libido? Ogling nurses...maybe civil war
nurses reincarnated? Down boy! Those docs scrubbing up were
creeping me out...obsess much? And about this hospital...where the
heck are the staff and assistings? And if they're making so much
money, how about some lights in those surgery theaters? Gotta admit
that first doc doing his manic liposuction made a great teaser and a
gruesome image on that video monitor. And didn't anybody at that
conference notice that there was a pentagram on the tabletop? I mean
this ain't the PTA, ya know! I gotta say, I hope the FBI never comes
knocking on my door. A few taps, some shady probable cause, and
they're busting down the door. When I'm on the computer I only hear
the door 50% of the time and there's also the phone or the throne.
Try knocking harder next time or you'll have a law suit on your
hands. X-Perv O' The Week..."Everybody's doing it...so I hear." Too
easy.
EGO:
The sanguinarium in this episode was the Aesthetic
Surgery Unit (ASU) at Greenwood Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Liposuction, skin peels, and scalp reductions are common procedures
at the ASU and if you're lucky, you'll actually go under the knife
for your scheduled procedure. Unfortunately, the doctors seem to be
possessed by some spirit or demon forcing them to commit murders on
their unsuspecting patients. Two of the doctors are taking
prescription antacid that contains belladonna as an
ingredient...evidence or red herring? Could it be a more tangible
entity at work here in the form of Nurse Waite? We learn that
similar deaths took place in the ASU ten years ago when Nurse Waite
was also in attendance. Waite appears to be a common link in all the
deaths but when Spooky leaps to the pentagram link, it seems more
likely that the witchcraft she is practicing is an attempt to protect
the patients rather than harm them. In the end our daring duo
discover that the patients dying all have birthdays falling on the
witch's Sabbaths. But who is responsible? Eventually, we find our
killer in the form of Dr. Jack Franklin, who we're lead to believe is
just another victim in this hospital. But Nurse Waite sees the evil
in him and in yet another bathroom of doom, tries to end his reign of
hospital terror. This scene took literally buckets of blood to pull
off and it was truly creepy if not utterly predictable when she
exploded from the tub. But in the end, the doctor achieves his
required blood sacrifice and moves on to another hunting ground
leaving our agents to stand in his wake surveying their ineffective
handiwork. If you like the gross, gory, creepy aspects of the
X-Files then this one was right up your alley. The imagery was
cringe-inducing at its highest caliber.
Throughout this episode we were given hints to lead us off course
from the true culprit. The most obvious of these tangents was in the
person of Nurse Waite. She was present during each of the deaths and
though they're not committed by her hand, she could easily be
responsible. This is only strengthened when she runs off following
one of the murders and we next see her at her house practicing
witchcraft. The attempt to steer us toward Waite convinced me early
on that she wasn't responsible and this was confirmed by Mulder's
information on the protective nature of the pentagram. What was not
so easy to understand was the attempt to make us believe the entire
staff might be involved. There they sit around the pentagram
conference table, seemingly working on a cover story. This
"gathering" is sort of odd, even when you take into account the
murders of ten years ago. The hospital backed them up on that
occasion, so if they are really innocent, why wouldn't they allow an
investigation to proceed unhindered? At the conclusion of the
episode, it is clear that there was only one person orchestrating the
deaths all along so it still doesn't make much sense to me why these
doctors were participating in this seeming collusion to obstruct an
investigation. At one point Franklin comments regarding Waite, "She
can't tell them anything because she doesn't know anything." In
retrospect, what the heck does that mean? More to the point, what
did the other doctors think he meant?
The biggest problem I had with this episode had to be the lack of
significance for so many things we witnessed. I don't normally mind
open-ended episodes that let us ponder and come to our own
conclusions regarding "what really happened". But the loose ends I'm
seeing here seem more the product of a brutally edited script or a
scenes thrown in simply for their visual effect. There were things
included in this story that were never explained. Let me try to be
brief (don't laugh). The two L's...leeches and levitation. Both of
these gave a moment to the show (ewww, ahhh) but other than that,
what was the point? The pentagram could have been introduced to the
second crime scene in a different manner and the leeches were never
referred to even by Scully. And the levitation...neat parlor trick
but what did it have to do with anything? Which brings me to the
whole person of the evil doc. If he could do tricks like levitation,
slamming doors from across the room, and causing a tray of
instruments to appear in someone's guts, then why did he even need
blood sacrifice? Why didn't he just change his face by his
will...physician, heal thyself! And was it ever really explained how
he used these sacrifices to achieve his ends? If it was me, I'd say
a couple more prayers and even sacrifice another person if it meant I
didn't have to peel my face off with a scalpel. Yuk! The fact is, I
could take a couple threads left up in the air...I mean, it isn't
called the unexplained for nothing. But I guess I just don't see the
point of this evilness. Vanity was the theme, so this doctor was
vain and was using these sacrifices to achieve a greater beauty. Are
we to conclude that his quest for greater beauty will never end? He
had arrived in LA to continue his "work" so I assume that even when
you have a dark force on your side, the ultimate beauty isn't easy to
achieve.
SUPEREGO:
"Everyone wants to be beautiful." The theme of
vanity was pervasive in this episode with the events taking place in
the aesthetic surgery unit and the final goal of the villain being to
achieve greater beauty. There were mirrors abounding and we even had
Mulder succumbing to the idea of improving his looks. There was one
thing that left me feeling a bit unsettled by the end of my second
viewing. There were a lot of deaths perpetrated by this evil doctor
and yet I got the feeling that we were supposed to feel less
sympathetic toward the victims since they were rich and vain. The
patients desire greater beauty and have the money to achieve their
goal, while the doctors are protecting their practice despite the
multiple deaths simply for the monetary gain it affords them. The
tone of the episode, including the reactions of the staff and Mulder
and Scully to these gruesome deaths, seemed to ask for less emotional
investment on the part of the viewer. As if the deaths had less
impact since they weren't perpetrated against doe-eyed children and
puppy dogs. I'm probably going overboard but it was just a residual
feeling the episode left.
And on the topic of our dynamic duo...I felt that their
investigation was half-a**ed and in the end ineffectual. Not only
did all these people die during the course of their investigation,
but the evil doc is off to more fertile ground in the City of Angels
to continue his quest for greater beauty. With regard to Mulder, I
thought the ongoing gag of him looking at himself in the mirror was
pretty funny. Scully, on the other hand, came off sounding a bit
harsh in Sanguinarium. Her comment about putting out an "APB on
someone riding a broom" was met with, "You jest, Scully..." I had to
agree with Mulder this time, though I think I usually side more with
Scully in her typical rationality. It was obvious that something was
going on and aside from Mulder connecting the dots to find the
pentagram, all the following evidence did seem to be adding up to
something that Scully was determined to ignore. Mulder was
right...the ritual wasn't finished.
And regarding the investigation, it seemed strange to me that
they only seemed to be aware or interested in half the evidence.
What about those leeches? What about those Sabbath birthdays? That
one in particular bothered me. It wouldn't have been too difficult
to research the scheduled patients' birthdays or at least advise the
front desk to flag suspicious charts; it would have at least saved
that final victim's life. The most glaring incident had to be at the
evil doc's house. Granted, watching Nurse Waite yak up a gross of
straight pins is impressive, but what about the rest of the crime
scene? Did anyone mention the tub of blood or the words written on
the mirror (Vanitus Vanitatum)? I know we can't see every movement
they make in a case but these seemed like oversights that might have
hastened their conclusions and possibly saved a few lives. And how
about Scully throwing her weight around in the operating room? Thank
heavens they ignored her and went ahead and saved that woman's life.
Maybe if they had checked her birthdate they would have realized that
she was just being kept out of the way and not part of the ritual
sacrifice.
******
In the final analysis, I thought Sanguinarium lacked
cohesiveness and sold out significance for throwaway imagery. As
much as I appreciated the blood bath on a visual level (yes, I'm a
sicko), I would have enjoyed the episode much more if the events
unfolding were easier to piece together at the conclusion. I don't
mind being confused during an episode, and in fact prefer to not have
every event telegraphed throughout, but this story didn't come full
circle in the end. Instead, it left me wondering what the heck was
actually intended, not the least of which was how the villain used
the murders to achieve his ends. On a less critical note, this was
the first X-Files script we've seen produced from this writing team
and as a first effort it was a satisfactory offering. I don't mean
to come off sounding too critical, since I have absolutely no
experience or ability in the area of writing. But in the words of
Peter Boyle's Clyde Bruckmann, I just call 'em like I see 'em.
Looking forward to the Mayhews' next script.
Back to Menu
Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man (4.07)
Written by Glen Morgan / Directed by James Wong
I was really looking forward to this episode. Not
just because it was a Morgan and Wong work, but because I've slowly
become a CSM fan. He captivated me back in One Breath when Mulder
breached his home turf and threatened to blow his head off. He kept
cool, even with a gun in his face, and managed to convince me with
his twisted logic. I was intrigued and couldn't wait to get some
backstory on this guy. Well, I've received the information but it's
now up to me to decide where the truth ends and the fiction begins.
Or worse yet, whether there is any truth to the tale at all. The
source and perspective make a dense filter to visualize this story
through, but I think some truth behind the Cigarette Smoking Man has
been uncovered and now I have to decide whether I can keep my
sympathy tamped down enough to continue despising him. It's going to
be a tough job.
******
X F - A n a l y s i s
ID:
Rat! For a minute there I thought CSM was entering
the silo to release Ratboy. Guess I'll have to wait a week. Deep
Throat is back...and in a hail of green alien blood! I wish we could
see him more often...and like this, not a morphed entity. Trust No
One...must have been a mantra of Deep Throat *and* CSM since it's
engraved on his lighter. The CSM-25 countermeasure filter is next to
useless when up against its namesake. I thought the Lone Gunman was
the name of the publication...and that's where the nickname came
from. Now we're to believe they actually go by The Lone Gunmen and
that their publication is The Magic Bullet. They ought to talk to
CSM about that magic bullet since the angle from the sewer pipe is
one heck of a shot to find its mark and do the damage it did. And
speaking of the sewer pipe, I kept thinking CSM might run into
Flukeman or Tooms. Getting mighty crowded in the sewers these days.
So a Stalinist agent killed Trotsky with an icepick. Again with the
icepick. Next thing they'll be telling me it happened in a bathroom!
"Warm up to the Cold War Barnburner...Second Chance" Raul
Bloodworth? His pen name was Raul Bloodworth? Mulder's first
word...JFK. Excuse me while I rinse this saccharin sweet taste from
my mouth. But the best part was the Forrest Gump meets Sam Spade
monologue. I nearly died laughing.
EGO:
Mulder and Scully get some insight into The Cigarette
Smoking Man from The Lone Gunmen who have used their diverse skills
to come upon a potential wealth of information. I find it
interesting that they haven't been hard at work trying to track down
information on CSM all along. But maybe they have since it was
rather fortuitous for Frohike to turn up this particular source.
When all is said and done, it would seem that CSM has been very busy
for the last 30+ years, involved in several pivotal events in recent
history. The major role he seems to have assumed was assassin for
both JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. In fact, it would appear that he
was originally recruited, and set his life course, in order to carry
out the first of these assassinations. The motivation for CSM and
the way in which the act was carried out all came across as very
believable, or at least plausible. It certainly doesn't seem far
fetched that other forces were at work behind the scenes and I can
believe that CSM got his start this way. Then, within the span of
four years, CSM seems to have moved up in the ranks, overseeing
meetings and calling the shots. He feels that MLK's communist
leanings in the pursuit of a revolutionary goal require action. In
this case, he seems hesitant and regretful that he needs to take
action. But with plausible deniability on his side and a sense of
purpose he makes the decision to go forward with another
assassination, one that he wants to personally oversee due to his
"respect for the man". The third act allusions to other conspiracies
and dealings were trivialized since they were only referred to in
passing, though one significant mention came when a flunky pointed
out that "Mulder feels like trouble." CSM's response..."He's mine to
keep an eye on."
The best sequence by far started with a call from Deep Throat on
Christmas Eve and ended in a fine mist of green alien blood. The
time stamp was 1991, which was amazing on more than one count. When
Deep Throat told Mulder that he regretted his past and was helping
Mulder to right past wrongs, I always had the impression he was
talking about a more distant past. Yet here he is with CSM, flipping
a coin over who will be the alien assassin. And even more
interesting, the fact that this living EBE could advance Bill
Mulder's project by decades. This may be another addition to the
list of potential oversights, but since I'd like to believe these
events are part of the actual XF timeline, I was surprised at the
recent collusion on the part of these men. Previous episodes
suggested an earlier retirement from these dealings but for the sake
of this scene, it was fascinating to watch.
"...once again tonight, the course of human history will be set
by two unknown men standing in the shadows." You know, if CSM in his
Raul Bloodworth persona had written his dialogue like this scene, he
would have made the best seller list. The entire sequence had such
resonance for me and this is why I'm going to take it at face value
and believe that it really did occur in the XF timeline. I was
thrilled to see Jerry Hardin reappear as Deep Throat in this
opportunity to witness what we've known was occurring in the past but
never had a chance to experience. It gave me chills and I only wish
that XF could be like Star Wars and go back for the previous chapters
leading up to Mulder and Scully's involvement. Deep Throat says he
was The Liar and CSM, The Killer. But when Security Council
Resolution 1013 needs to be enacted, CSM chooses to flip a coin and
see who will "make history". He wants to delude himself, and
possibly Deep Throat, into believing that he has never killed
anybody. But if the events we've witnessed leading up to this moment
are a yard stick by which to measure CSM's life, Deep Throat is
correct when he says maybe CSM *is* The Liar. "If the world were to
see this, it would destroy all we've gained in a few hours." Sounds
to me like CSM is stealing his dialogue from Deep Throat when he
repeats this sentiment to Mulder in One Breath. For me, this was the
best part of the episode. I only wish we could have spent the entire
hour watching the events surrounding the alliance between CSM, Deep
Throat, and Bill Mulder. That would have been riveting.
SUPEREGO:
"For nothing can seem foul to those that win."
Frohike said he would offer us a chance to see who CSM is and who
he wants to be. Something tells me we got a heck of a lot more of
the latter. If we are to believe the story of CSM's inception into
the world, both his father (executed for espionage for the Soviets)
and his mother (died from lung cancer due to addiction to cigarettes)
were dead before he spoke his first words. With no surviving family
he spent his early years in orphanages with no friends but a penchant
for reading. His reading material may be the inspiration for his
attempt to cast himself as a heroic figure, pivotal in historic
events. We see him reading the Manchurian Candidate, fertile ground
for conspiracy and assassinations which end up being dominant in his
serialized autobiography. But the overall impression is, regardless
of how much of his story you believe, that he's sacrificed a
traditional life for dedication to his job. He truly believes that
he's acting for the long-term good of his country and the world.
The aspect of this sacrifice that he seems to suffer the most
from is the lack of family. His friend, Bill Mulder, shares a view
into his own life when he shows CSM the picture of his young wife and
child. CSM will never achieve this family life and it seems to be
his deepest regret. We see him carrying around the picture of Mrs.
Mulder and Fox years later. This episode strengthened my belief that
CSM is not Fox Mulder's father. I think he spent time with the
Mulders and yearned for this life, and possibly fell in love with
Mrs. Mulder. Or maybe he simply fell in love with the idea of living
Bill Mulder's life, and this fantasy carried on so that he continued
to carry the picture through the years. When he tells his coworkers
that he's going to see some family for the holidays, he's lying, and
he passes Mulder's basement office with a momentary regret. I think
a lot of CSM's decisions plague him. The things that carry him
through are his cigarettes, his convictions, and his writing.
Unfortunately, he's a terrible writer. He made a speech in One
Breath about not having a wife or family and I didn't feel too bad
for him at the time, but this episode made me feel pity for CSM.
Pretty amazing. When he got that call from the magazine publisher, I
was actually happy for him. He's so excited and actually laughs!
He's going to have his own second chance, his resignation typed up,
Morleys in the trash bin. But it's not to be and I was a bit crushed
along with him. Luckily that great "chocolate box" speech was right
on the heels of this incident which I couldn't help but laugh about.
So he'll return to smoking, continue being a black cloud hanging over
our dynamic duo, and continue casting himself in the daring Sam Spade
roles where he guides the world's future. He can call the shots and
hold people's lives in his hands, and one of these lives is our dear
puppy dog, Frohike. Quoting from his own manuscript typed out 30
years ago, CSM says to an unsuspecting Frohike, "I can kill you
whenever I please...but not today."
******
I appreciated the format of this episode; the four acts as we
moved from past to future. The black and white imagery for the MLK
scenes was fairly effective, but I'm not sure why it wasn't also used
for the JFK scenes. The idea of witnessing history from one man's
perspective was engaging, even when that perspective is most
certainly skewed. The most bizarre instance of this was listening in
on Mulder and Scully's first meeting with CSM's listening device.
Kind of creepy to see how they've been monitored from the start. And
then there's the continuity. If CSM was born in 1940, then for the
scenes in Apocrypha he would be a strapping 13 year old. Hmmmm. And
I thought he had never smoked until he set up Oswald as a patsy? I
really don't want to ponder these too much since I did enjoy this
episode. I think for the sake of the overall impression I want to
hold on to, I'll let them fade. But if they need a story editor or
continuity person on staff, it might be worth the paycheck.
In wrapping up, I'll say that Scully should sit up and take
notice. Frohike's deeper than he let on...sounds like he's a bit of
a closet philosopher. Let's just forget for a moment where he
stumbled upon this story of mystery and intrigue. He has some
interesting final words on CSM, even quoting Thoreau, "...men lead
lives of quiet desperation." CSM is the most dangerous man alive,
not because he believes these actions, but because he believes these
actions are all that life allows him. CSM has sacrificed a personal
life to shoulder responsibility for his country and the world.
That's how he sees himself...as the hero of one of his stories.
Casting himself in this role is probably the only way he survives
from day to day in an otherwise unrewarding life. When all is said
and done, one has to wonder whether this story that Frohike stumbled
upon is simply the over inflated fantasy life of Raul Bloodworth, or
whether there are sprinkled nuggets of truth to be mined. Maybe the
events we witnessed were the true history recalled by CSM as he
listened in to the version being pieced together by Frohike?
Personally, I'm going to believe that some of it was
true...particularly the yearning desire for publication, and the
recollected scenes with Deep Throat. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but
the one gives more depth to CSM's character and the other gives more
depth to the overall mythology of the X-Files. That's what I want,
so that's what I'll believe in.
Back to
Menu
Tunguska (4.09)
Written by Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter / Directed by Kim
Manners
Back to the conspiracy and ain't it grand. There's
nothing like seeing that opening run of credits and recognizing so
many familiar names. And the expectation of a great convoluted
plotline that will traverse two episodes...what possibilities. So
far, Tunguska lived up to my expectations and I can only hope that
Terma won't fall flat as an end piece to this story. Once again,
Mulder is off on a trip to find his answers and this time he leaves
Scully *and* Skinner to pick up the pieces and cover his butt. This
boy needs 50 lashes. He got a few in this episode, and it wasn't
with a wet noodle.
******
X F - A n a l y s i s
ID:
Scully looked cool in her swat team head gear while
Mulder looked a bit like Captain Condom. How many times have I seen
a car speed away from our duo and yelled out, "Shoot out the tires!"
Am I the only one who thinks this? It obviously isn't part of FBI
training at Quantico. X-Perv o' the Week: Expose it for him,
Scully. Skinner with pants unbuckled and chest revealed...get it
while you can since it may be the only time for the season. I
thought for a minute with Krycek, Skinner, and Mulder all in one
room, there might be some sort of testosterone saturation level
leading to [censored]. Tensions were high. Was it my imagination or
did that IWTB poster look different? Must have been that oily soil
sample I was experimenting with last night. Well, I got my handcuff
scene, but I was thinking more along the lines of Mulder and Krycek
handcuffed together sort of like The Defiant Ones. Lots of close
encounters and tension though so I won't complain. And how about the
pot calling the kettle black...Mulder takes a swipe at Krycek saying,
"Stupid ass haircut!" Hmmm...bit of jealousy at Ratboy's fashion
sense. My final thought...at least that "To Be Continued" won't take
4 months to resolve.
EGO:
First it was Skinner, then it was a conference room
full of FBI's upper echelon suits, and now a Senate Subcommittee.
Just how far will Scully go to cover Mulder's butt? But she's cool
under fire, attempting repeatedly to finish her prepared statement
with Skinner literally, and figuratively, right behind her. Mulder
better come back from Russia with more than a couple of recipes and a
furry hat. No immunity for diplomats in Tunguska where two
diplomats, a customs agent, a NASA doctor, and a room full of test
subjects are infected with the oil slick alien we witnessed in PM/A.
A level four isolation suit doesn't protect you which isn't
surprising since we saw it get through a pressure sealed dive suit in
Piper Maru.
Alex Krycek has been liberated from his North Dakota silo by a
militant group on a salvage hunt. "You gotta learn to live with rats"
he says, and he begins working with the group while leaking
information to Mulder. When they get their hands on Ratboy, Mulder
immediately takes a swing at him while Scully keeps her cool. He's
not a popular guy, but he does have some information and a mission to
find the man responsible for tragedy in all their lives...The
Cigarette Smoking Man. I thought it was pretty funny that he laughed
at Mulder's statements about a quest for Truth. He was pretty
scornful, saying, "These men, they make it up as they go along." Does
that have a familiar ring to it? Maybe how some people feel about
the writers at Ten-Thirteen? What they fear is exposure, and Krycek
may be useful in this regard. He leads them to the airport where
they chase down diplomat #2 who ditches a pouch containing...a rock.
Mulder takes Krycek to Skinner's place and he gets some nice
accommodations, handcuffed to the balcony.
But is the rock more interesting than it first appears? Of
course. It's similar to meteorites thought to originate from
Mars...the ones that show fossilized signs of bacterial life that
might be extraterrestrial. The NASA guy is eager to take a core
sample and ends up releasing the oil slick life form which infects
him, sending him into some sort of comatose state. When Scully
eventually goes to check his progress, she takes Pendrell in with her
to check it out. He goes along, despite the fact that the isolation
suits they're wearing weren't much protection for the doctor who's
infected. So Pendrell risks his life but why not, since Scully
manages to look smashing in a blue, level 4 biosuit. What a woman.
But trouble is breaking out at Skinner's high-rise flat. The
diplomat is back in search of his pouch and Krycek manages to hurl
him from the balcony to his death in a feat defying the laws of
physics. Leverage be damned, since Krycek comes out on the winning
end. Skinner calls our driving duo to tell them that trouble's
afoot. Mulder *tells* Scully to pull over, go check on the rock
situation, and call him back without divulging the phone
conversation. This right on the heels of Scully's plea to Mulder
that she's worried about him, about how far he will go, and how far
she can follow. Mulder obviously doesn't feel an explanation is
warranted. He heads off to release Krycek and takes a couple more
stress-relieving punches at him. When Scully calls to report in and
*share* some info with Mulder, he tells her to get him an address for
the Uniblonde. Yes sir, right away sir.
Mulder crashes the Uniblonde's place and *asks* her for help.
She gets him the info about the diplomatic pouch, the fact that it
went through Tunguska, and offers to supply him with the documents
and identification he'll need to leave the country. In a seductive
voice that could easily score her extra cash doing feminine product
commercials, she tells Mulder that she is one of the ones "who
believe in you...in your search for the Truth." Sounds like it's a
whole knitting circle...or hive. Mulder heads to the airport to
follow the pouch as Krycek complains that he's being kept in the
dark. Mulder punches Ratboy again. Mr. Tough guy...hitting a guy in
handcuffs. For his next trick, he'll punch an old lady wearing
glasses. Just as it looks like Mulder's going to ditch Krycek in
long term airport parking, Krycek wows him with some choice words he
learned from his Cold War immigrant parents. Mulder decides he could
use the company and takes Ratboy along. Ratboy doesn't seem to need
the special documents or passport that the Uniblonde supplied Mulder.
Meanwhile, CSM is visiting the Well Manicured Man in a peaceful
pastoral setting. His news is not well received and WMM questions
whether CSM realizes the full implications of what's at stake. "You
know my capabilities in a crisis," CSM counters, to which WMM
replies, "This will take more than just a good aim." Hmmm...maybe CSM
was more pivotal in those assassinations than I gave him credit for.
Scully and Skinner are experiencing their own headache over Mulder's
actions as they receive a summons to appear before a senate
committee. Skinner wants to know what exactly he's being called on
the carpet for but Scully has incomplete answers and is hesitant to
divulge even the little she knows. "Agent Mulder is endeavoring to
get his own answers." Her answers to the Senator are no more
revealing. She and Skinner are threatened with obstruction of
justice and perjury.
Mulder is literally, in the field...busy digging a hole under a
barbed-wire fence. He explains to Krycek that Tunguska was the site
of an unexplained cosmic event in 1908. Mulder thinks that somebody
finally found evidence and that the explanation was something nobody
ever dreamed of. From what I've read about the area and the attempts
to find evidence of a meteor or comet, they should have breached a
nearly impenetrable forest, then slogged though a boggy,
insect-filled, nightmare landscape. It looked more like Vancouver to
me. But they did get to visit a gulag after being chased from their
vantage point above the mining site by whip-wielding men on
horseback. Interesting imagery. Krycek is tossed into Mulder's cell
and fears torture although he already coughed up the truth...that
they were stupid, lost Americans wandering the forest. Sounds close
to me. Mulder decides to relieve some more tension by using Krycek
as a punching bag but finally meets some resistance. Ratboy informs
him that he'll need him and says, "Don't touch me again." Mulder
actually looked reluctant to agree. Make of it what you will.
Mulder shows off his roach wrangling skills when he picks one out
of his soup..."Greetings...welcome to my gulag." Krycek pitches a
fit and talks a guard into allowing him to see his supervisor.
Mulder is obviously not fluent in body language since he seems
unaware that there's a bit more to this conversation than what Krycek
claims. He seemed to exert a bit more authority over the situation
than he admitted. The guy in the cell next to Mulder tells him that
he's being deceived. He also tells him that he fully expects to die
in an experiment when he is no longer any use to his captors. Mulder
must have already outstayed his welcome since he's drugged, strapped
to a table, covered with wire mesh, and subjected to a dose of oil
slick alien slurry. Unable to move, Mulder is infected as the alien
life form makes its way into the body, travels up under the skin, and
eventually clouds the eyes in the creepy effect we've witnessed
before. To Be Continued...
SUPEREGO:
Since it's a two-part episode, I won't draw any final
conclusions or really analyze the plot. A lot of set-up is necessary
for a complex story so I'll wait until Terma to make a final call.
But for an overall impression, I'd say this is shaping up to be the
best of the season. For once, I was riveted throughout and the hour
seemed to pass all too soon. The storyline is bringing together
loose threads from previous episodes, most noticeably Piper
Maru/Apocrypha. It's also gratifying to see so many repeat
characters worked skillfully into the episode, not simply thrown in
as an afterthought. I love witnessing interchanges between Skinner
and CSM, outside no less, and WMM and CSM. There are posturing,
power plays at work that have me picturing rams butting heads or
peacocks displaying in an attempt to assert dominance.
Tunguska had some great effects at work especially the oil slick
alien making an appearance in disguise as a mass of gummy worms. The
image of those things working there way so rapidly up under the skin
and into the eyes was definitely creepy. You had to feel for all
those prisoners and Mulder strapped onto the tables under wire mesh,
but that customs guy who dropped that glass container...well, I
couldn't believe what a dink! The guy had just told him it contained
biohazardous material. Some people just have to exercise authority.
As far as the character analysis for Tunguska, top marks for
Krycek who's back even though it was a lousy explanation for his silo
release. It's great to see Ratboy in action and I can't wait to find
out what his standing really is in Terma. He better not just
disappear again. He obviously wielded a bit more authority with that
guard than Mulder realized. Scully was in empowerment mode. From
the out of sequence opening to her scenes with Skinner, she was in
top form. Once again, though, she's posing questions to Mulder that
he simply ignores. I try to overlook these things since I would
prefer to enjoy the story rather than dwell on them, but in this
episode they were impossible to ignore. I don't like Mulder's
attitude toward Scully this season. I know that officially he's her
superior, but they're partners and it felt that in past seasons they
had worked to a level of respect that made them equals in work. But
here he is handing down orders with no explanations, then side
stepping direct questions from Scully that, frankly, relate to her
position in the FBI. I'm not sure what to make of it but it's
becoming a bit more than a distraction. You don't want to know the
names for Mulder I mutter under my breath.
******
So that's it until next week. I'm really looking forward to the
conclusion. This episode kept my interest the entire hour and has my
mind working overtime in conspiracy-mode. I'll save any conclusions
for Terma, but so far so good.
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